Don't Name It
by GlassesCactus
Summary: Not everyone wanted to be a trainer. I actually wanted to stay in school, but we can't always get what we want. I still don't think this trainer business is for me and the only reason I'm succeeding at all is because my parents are breeders. So tell me, what am I supposed to do when the "prized" Larvitar gets stolen? Get it back? No. Discontinued.
1. Prologue

Most aspiring trainers receive their first Pokemon at the age of ten and then go off to travel the lands to become "Pokemon Masters." I was no different. When I was ten years old, I hatched my first Pokemon. It wasn't anything special like the standard starting Pokemon of the Sinnoh reigon or the impressive Starly of other trainers. He was just a small, weak, baby Slugma, but I was alright with that. I didn't expect to be battling anytome soon anyway.

My parents were both Pokemon trainers that had had their fill of the adventerous life and settled down on a small Pokemon ranch that primarily bred Monster Type Pokemon; that was how I ended up obtaining my first Pokemon through an egg. My dad gave it to me so I could help out with the ranch or, as my mom hoped, start battling.

Even after retiring as trainers, both of my parents still had a passion for Pokemon; that's why they breed Monsters, because they were powerful. The ranch still had the standard Mareep line, Miltank, and other farm Pokemon,but what it was known for was its Lavitar, Aron, Axew, and various other Pokemon. Our family also owned Doduo, and a few Rapidash, and an Archanine but they were for Ranching purposes and not for sale.

Since I had so many "good" Pokemon available to me, I never felt the need to chose any, even with the urging of my parents. I never intended to become a Pokemon trainer. I wanted to finish school and get a more practical job as something else, but fate works in funny ways.

After hatching Chill, my Slugma, I continued to help my parents out with the ranch while continuing my studies unlike most of my friends who left with their Pokemon the first chance they had. I chose to stay, but my parents always pushed me to become a trainer.

Eventually on my twelth birthday, my parents managed to force another Pokemon onto my "team." It was a shiny Larvitar that I had hatched earlier that year. I remembered my dad talking about how he needed one for another customer but I guess I got it instead.

Unlike most people, I wasn't happy at all to have him. I didn't want to train and Chill was enough for me. I remember something my father once told me. "Don't nickname it, you'll get attached."

And that's exactly what I did.


	2. Reluctant Start

My day started like any other day would: the Loudred was outside, making its rounds and waking up the entire ranch; the Kangaskan were doting on the newly hatched Pokemon; and the fire types were snoozing happily nearby their given eggs. I expected it to be like any other day. I dollwed my morning routine and prepared for school.

I walked down the stairs into the stairs into the kitchen only to be met by my father holding a large, durable backpack. "Honey, there comes a time in every young lady's life where she must leave the house to pursue her dreams and experience a journey filled with adventure," he started with a completely straight face, "I think it's time that you started yours."

"But Da-"

I didn't have time to properly respond. He had already scooped me up into my arms and before I knew it, we were already on the back of one of the family's Tropius. Flying on a Pokemon was nothing new to be but I clung onto its neck for dear life as we flew over Sinnoh.

We eventually landed in what I believe was Sandgem Town. It was small and the sea breeze was refreshing, but I didn't notice any of that. The whole exreience left me quivering where is stood. Some people may had even been staring.

"Now, Sweetie, I know you didn't want to become a trainer, but you already have a trainer card and Pokemon so you may as well start," he smiled as he handed me things that I assume would be needed as a trainer.

"Dad, you and Mom were the ones that practically forced those on me! I have to admit, I love Chill but I don't want anymore. I don't wan't the Larvitar."

That made him pause. He scratched his head and said very seriously, "You didn't name your Larvitar yet?"

"It's not my Larvitar, Dad! I never wanted it in the first place. I just want to go back to school and go home. Being a Pokemon trainer isn't for me; it was for you and mom. Just because beating the champion or getting all eight gym badges was your dream doesn't mean it's mine."

"Sweetie, you're a smart girl and you know that I am so, so proud of you. I know you can become an amazing trainer if you wanted, and that is the very reason why I want you to try. I'm not saying that you have to defeat the champion like I did. I want you to go out into the fields and learn how to live with Pokemon again.

"Even though you help with the ranch, I see how you react to the Pokemon. I know you don't like them, Honey. Seeing you fear them is hearbreaking, you know. You need to get over that fear, and doing the gym circut is the best way. Before you come home, I want you to get all eight badges. It's easier than it sounds, trust me. Besides, if you really need help and it's an emergency, just give me or your mom a call and we'll send a spare Pokemon your way."

Before I could respond, he patted my head and handed me a trainer grade Pokedex. He took off on the Tropius shortly afterward, leaving me stranded halfway across the reigon with two Pokemon.

What Dad said was wrong though. I wasn't scared of Pokemon. Yes, I might be wary of the larger, stronger kind, but I wasn't afraid of them. Just one line in particular. Sighing, I decided to take in my surroundings.

The morning air was crisp and clean, probably from the ocean breeze, and the sun was just beginning to rise above the treeline. Sandgem really was a beautiful town. The transition to morning was almost complete. The Starly were tweeting and the quiet rustle of the forest made that evident. Some of the nearby houses were starting to become lively as well. The people inside were probably aready doing their morning routines. Living on a ranch meant that I had to wake up much earlier than the average person, so it was no surprise that they were only gettin up now.

I made my way to the sand and idly kicked at it with the toe of my shoe. I really had no idea what to do next. Sitting down, I stared out towards the horizon. Quiet scenes like this helped me think. It didn't take long for me to get lonely though. Reaching towards my belt, I grasped my Slugma's familliar Pokeball and released him. With a bright flash of light Chill appeared beside me.

"Maaa," he smiled at me with his perpetually tired eyes. Chill seemed to enjoy the sand, which was now being warmed by the sun. He was probably absorbing some of it into his magma body to be melted down.

We stayed there for a while, listening to the quiet crashing of the waves. It was nice being able to spend time with him and sharing a mutaul silence, but that ened with a soft tap on my shoulder. A little girl who looked a few years younger than me was standing behind me.

"Hi there! Are you a new Pokemon trainer?" she asked cheerily, pointing at Chill, "We don't normally get a lot of new trainers around here. Normally it's just people who want to try to get free pokemon from Professor Rowan and older trainers that want to meet him."

Too shy to say anything, even to someone younger, I nodded. She smiled and took a seat next to us. "Oh! Here take these," she reached into her pocket and presented me with a few Pokeballs, "You're going to need a lot if you're going to be training."

"Umm... thank you for the offer bu-"

The Pokeballs were shoved into my hands before I could finish speaking. She suddenly stood, sand falling from her little dress. "Did you know that there's going to be swarm of Cubone on Route 203 today? You should catch one and show it to me."

Still holding the Pokeballs the girl had given me, I put them away into one of the pockets of my backpack. I stood and brushed off the sand from my pants. "I don't think that's a good idea. I'm only going to be a trainer for a little while... so I don't think I will be catching more Pokemon soon. Thank you for the Pokeballs though," I said nervously.

There wasn't much to do in Sandgem Town. I figured it would be time to leave so I got to my feet with her. "I think I better get going now. How do you reach Jubilife City?"

"Going so soon?" she took me by the hand and led me to the noth side of the town. Once we reached the entrance of Route 202 she stopped and gave me a hug. My body tensed with the sudden contact. Eventually I relaxed and she let go. "You just have to keep on going straight until you hit the city."

"You're really friendly you know... I mean, you don't even know my name and you've already done a lot for me..."

"There aren't really a lot of people here, ya know. It's rare to see anyone near my age," she said idly, "If you can, you should come back to visit once you get good."

After that we said out farewells and exchanged some contact information. I wasn't sure if I would ever come back to that town but it'd be mean to not say yes. The road to Jubilife was short and easy to travel. It was filled with small patches of tall grass, short cliffs, and the occasional trainer. The air still smelled of salt here even though I could no longer see the ocean. The wild Pokemon only consisted of a few weak Starly, Bidoof, and the occasional Shinx. Chill didn't have much of a problem with taking them down with an Ember or two. Chill was slow though. He'd always be hit with an attack before being able to attack the Wild Pokemon, so by the time I reached Jubilife City, he was exhaused.

I didn't bother using the Larvitar. I felt bad about it, but I didn't want him to get attached to me. He'd have his chance to train later, with a proper trainer.

Jubilife City, by far, was the biggest city I had ever seen. It was filled with huge buisness builings and housing alike. Everywhere I looked there were people wearing grey buisness suits or families walking with their children. The whole area was just bursting with a rushed energy.

Near the center of the city was a small park-like area with a fountain. The morning sun glistened off the flowing water. to the left of the fountain was an entire section of the city dedicated to global trade. When it was first created, it was the center of attention. Now that the hype had died down, not as many people visited that area.

I scanned the city, looking past the busy looking workers, and quickly spotted the Pokemon Center. It was a standard center with two stories. The trainers inside looked like they came from all corners of the world. You had the sucessful strong ones, the rich ones, new trainers, and the average trainer alike. The minute I walked in, some of the more experienced trainers sitting at a table begain to snicker.

"Look another newbie."

"How long do you think this one will last?"

"Probably not more than a week."

"I say three days."

I wasn't sure if they thought I could hear them or not, but the quiet snickering continued. I ignored what they said, but I couldn't stop myself from feeling self-conscious. I made myself as small as possible and suffled over to the main desk.

"New trainer I see?" Nurse Joy flased me a warm smile. She was probably used to seeing people like me walk in all the time. "What do you need, dear?"

"My Slugma needs to be healed," I paused and thought for a moment. Remembering that the Larvitar still needed to have its first mandatory check-up, I continued, "My Larvitar needs his shots, too. He just hatched not too long ago."

"Oh, a Larvitar? That's a strange Pokemon to have for someone just starting. Anyway, you can just hand me the Pokeballs and I'll have a look at them."

I did as she told me and handed her the Pokeballs. Nurse Joy handed Chill's to her assistant to be taken into the back. She then released the Larvitar from his ball for his first routine check up. He came out with a bright flash the usual sparkle and chime of a shiny Pokemon.

It was then that the Pokemon Center grew noticably quieter. All eyes were on her, or more specifically, the Larvitar. Nurse Joy seemed pleasantly surprised to see a shiny Pokemon. The other trainers, not so much. They mostly seemed impressed or in awe, but I couldn't shake the feeling that those trainers that were mocking me before didn't fit in either of those catagories. They seemed bitter and jealous. I didn't know for sure though, I didn't look.

The silence didn't last for long. The trainers quickly went back to their conversations and tended to their Pokemon. Nurse Joy finished with the two of the Pokemon quickly and handed them back to me in their Pokeballs. "I gave your Larvitar all of the standard shots and your Slugma is perfectly healthy. If you need a room to stay for the night, we offer those to trainers for free."

"Yes, please." I had almost forgotten about needing a place to sleep. I quickly thanked her and hurried out of the Pokemon Center. It was starting to feel stuffy in there.

I ended up aimlessly wandering around the city until nightfall. I visited a few shops here and there and bought some charcoal for Chill with the meager amount of money I had, and some PokeTech promoters gave me a pink one for free. I picked up a couple of sandwiches for me and my Pokemon, but neither of them seemed interested in them. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful.

As the streets grew quieter and the lights of the buildings grew brighter, I found myself sitting on the edge of the fountain staring at the Larvitar, and he stared back. He seemed fond of me and stood close to my legs. I did hatch him after all; he probably thought of me as something like a mother.

I kneeled down beside him to match look at him at eye level. He was already registered to my trainer card, and I was officially his trainer even if I didn't want to me. I sighed. I was probably going to have to keep him.

"Now is a good time as ever to give you a name."

"Larvi?"

"Yeah," of course I didn't understand him but I felt the need to say something. I stared at him long and hard. Naming things was not something I was good at.

"How about Christopher?" He squeaked happily in response. Happy that I was able to name him so quickly without any problems, I pulled out my PokeDex and entered his new nickname to have it officially registered. Little did I know, his name did not fit into the allowed spaces. Only "Christophe" did.

"What?!" I cried loud enough for people to stare. This name would be unacceptable. I quickly deleted the name and reinput it. "Kristopher". Perfect. It was more unusal than the other spelling but it would work. I pressed the enter button and received a cheerful beep to confirm the same was registered.

"Welcome to the team, Kristopher. We can call you 'Kristy' for short."

I held my hand out to him and he nuzzled his face into it. He was cute, in his own way. Maybe this could work. I scanned him with the PokeDex to check his statistics for the first time.

Let's see... He was level one with only Bite and Leer as moves. Not bad. Chill only had Yawn and Smog when he first started. "Wanna do some nighttime training?"

"Tar!" He squeaked happily. He seemed so excited and I felt... happy. Maybe this was that fabled "bond" that forms between a trainer and a Pokemon. I doubted it though.

I had never trained a Pokemon formally before so it would be a new experience for the both of us. I stood up from where I was kneeling and looked East towards Route 203. The Pokemon there shouldn't be too hard to take down. Kristopher's Bite should easily take down any Psychic Pokemon and Chill could help out defeating a few. Content with my plan, the two of us made our way east.

Route 203 was a quiet place at night. I guess there wasn't that many trainers out at 9'o clock. The occasional Kricketot played its song but it was mostly silent. The moonlight relflected off the pond, and the night fog had already wet the grass. Sure enough though, there were plently of Pokemon to battle against. With the help of Chill, I was able to train Kristy up to level ten. Screech and Sandstorm weren't very useful moves in my opinion, but they were a start. Chill got a bit stronger in the process as well. Oddly enough, we didn't encounter any Cubone like that girl said. I think I saw one in the distance, but it ran away the minute it saw us.

By the time we finished our training session it was already 1 A.M. I returned Chill to his ball and headed back to the Pokemon Center. The town was quiet when we entered, almost eerily so. I didn't want to stay outside for long so I decided to take a shortcut through the alleyways.

In five minutes, I was pinned face-first to a wall with a knife held to my back.


	3. Ground-Type

"Give me your everything you have," grunted a man with a raspy voice.

I struggled against his grip, desperation and panic taking over my mind. He only tightened his grasp on me. Kristopher stood, scared and shaking, beside us. He had already tried to fight off the man, but his struggles bore no results.

My heart was racing. I tried reaching for Chill's Pokeball, but the mugger noticed and shoved me forcefully into the wall, causing me to drop the Pokeball.

"Don't even try."

I was completely at loss. I had no idea what to do. It may have been because of my lack of thought at the moment, or maybe it was due to the fact that I had grown up on the straight and sheltered path of a little girl growing up on a ranch protected by large scary Pokemon. Even at school people would be afraid to talk to me because of my dad. In the end the man ended up taking everything of value I had, and I ended up dragging myself back to the Pokemon Center, Kristy grabbing tightly onto the leg of my pants the whole way.

Nurse Joy was shocked to see me. I wasn't injured that badly, really, only a few minor scrapes and some bruising. Then again, I probably would have been shocked to see me too. I came in earlier as a timid new trainer and returned as a defeated roughed up one. To be honest though, I was more shocked about the fact that Nurse Joy remembered me. She probably gets hundreds of people coming into the Pokemon Center; it may have been my Larvitar that made her remember me though.

It was late and there really wasn't anyone else inside the Pokemon Center so all of her attention was on me. She fretted over me, disinfected my little cuts, and forced me to tell her the whole story of what happened. It was stupid. I was stupid.

As expected, she gave me a short lecture that one would expect from a parent and sent me on my way to a room. As I was leaving, I saw her head towards the phone, probably to report what just happened.

Now that I think about it though, I wonder why she was awake at his hour. Pokemon Centers are open at all hours but the Nurses have to sleep eventually. Right?

The room I was sent to already had another trainer sleeping soundly inside of it. The Pokemon Center must have been full; they generally avoid putting multiple trainers in a room if possible. I opened the door slowly, and the light from the hallway flooded the interior of the room. The girl inside awoke with a muffled groan.

She didn't seem too happy about being awoken up, but that was understandable. She stared at me, and I stared back at her. This lasted for a good minute before she motioned for me to enter. I dropped my backpack to the floor and dragged it inside, the bottom of it scraped against the floors as I walked in. I barely climbed onto the creaky bed on the other side of the room before I heard her say in a hoarse voice, "Please close the door."

When I woke up the next morning, I felt terrible. My head was pounding from the lack of sleep, my muscles ached from what would barely pass as physical activity, and I was finally feeling the effects of being smashed into a wall. Despite how horrible I felt, I sat up with a jolt. The fact that I was on my own was finally sinking in. No one was going to help me, and I knew next to nothing about being a Pokemon trainer. Seeing as my attempts at being a good trainer yesterday got me mugged, it was clear that I wasn't even close to doing it right.

I pulled my knees close as I held my head in my hands. I found myself pulling at my hair; the stress of it was finally getting to me. Hot tears were forming in my eyes and I couldn't do anything but try to bite them back. I was so pathetic. No matter how hard I fought it, I still ended up trying to choking back quiet sobs. Looking back, I was pathetic, and I knew it at the time. It was only my first day, and I was already in tears.

My roommate must have noticed, because I felt something weighing down my bed beside me. Two arms pulled me close and I soon found myself sitting across her lap. It was comforting... We sat there for a while in silence.

It wasn't long before I heard the soft, concerned squeaks of Kristopher. I must have forgotten to return him to his ball last night. He probably had to sleep on the floor because of me. My roommate moved to return him to his ball and placed it in my hands.

"Are you alright now?" she asked me with mild concern. I was only sniffling by then, and responded to her with a simple nod. She pulled me to my feet and smoothed out my clothes before continuing, "Good. Nurse Joy came by while you were sleeping and told me what happened. Everyone makes mistakes; you just need to be more careful. I suggest starting with not walking alone at night."

I only nodded. She led me outside so I could wash my face. When I was finished, she was waiting outside holding all of my things in a bag. I was handed my wallet first. All of my money was inside it, not that I had much to steal anyway.

"Apparently the guy that mugged you was pretty easy to find. No big surprise though. A non-trainer walking around at night with all your stuff is pretty suspicious either way. Joy actually dropped off your stuff in the room before you even woke up though, but I thought it'd be better if I gave them to you now than later."

We went back into the room so I could pack everything back into my pack. It was the first time I actually got a good look at the inside of the room. The two beds were the kind that you would find in a cheap motel, they were clean though and that was all that really mattered; there were new LED light installed into the ceiling; and a small window to match the white linoleum floors. It was, by all means, a very plain room. It was good enough though. It was free, after all.

My roommate watched me staring at the room silently. She was dressed rather nicely for an average trainer, a lot cleaner than the average trainer too. From what I'd seen, most trainers were pretty dirty and unkempt. Probably from all the travelling though, so it wasn't entirely their fault. Her hair was neat and just past shoulder-length; it was probably impractical to have it any longer. I made a mental note to get a haircut. Long hair would be hard to maintain while traveling.

She caught me staring and broke the silence. "What are you looking at?"

"You," I responded flatly.

She leaned over and rested her elbows on her knees, "You're not the training type are you? Tell me about yourself and I'll tell you about me. Name's Alexas"

She held her hand out to me and I took it. I introduced myself, and we talked until the afternoon. I didn't really want to sit around in the room all day but I desperately needed a crash course on how to be a trainer. She seemed like she knew what she was doing; I might as well ask for help. I knew enough about Pokemon but nothing about actually training them. As it turned out, Alexas was the perfect person to teach me. It didn't necessarily mean that she was a good teacher, but I knew the basics by the time we were finished.

I ended up telling her my story once she was done giving me advice. She just laughed and ruffled my hair. When I asked about her, she didn't go into much detail at all. Alexas was running the gym circuit alongside one of her childhood friends as some sort of race or competition. When I asked her why they didn't just travel together to make it easier she simply said, "I need a rival. We both want to be the best, but we both know that there can only be one. Besides, having a rival only pushes you to be better; it makes you constantly need to push yourself. It benefits both sides. We're helping each other in our own ways."

It was strange how she didn't share much about herself with me at all even after I nearly told her my life story. I guess I was just expecting too much, after all, we were still strangers. Meeting a real trainer was exciting and my hopes were too high.

She flashed her badges to me. All seven of them sparkled brilliantly in the natural light that filtered in through the window. She was only missing the Beacon Badge.

"I just need to wait for my friend to hurry up and beat the Snowpoint Gym so we can battle. Then I can finally move onto the Sunnyshore Gym." The two had some sort of deal about battling after every gym to test their strength.

Gym Badges... I still needed to collect those if I wanted to go back home. I nervously scratched the back of my head before speaking up. "How long did it take you to earn your first badge?"

She tapped her chin in thought. "Let's see... I'm seventeen now... Well, I haven't been training seriously for long. Maybe seven months ago? I actually started when I was ten, though. Eric, my rival, and I both tried to set the record for beating the gyms but that didn't work out... I'd say it took me three days once I started training for real. It's pretty easy beating Roark if you start with a Bulbasaur, after all. It's a good thing Sonny was a Bulbasaur too. They're the ideal Pokemon to start with."

Then she turned to me and asked with a curious tone, "Why are you starting with a Larvitar anyway? I know you hatched it and it happened to be shiny, but why a Larvitar? Couldn't you have started with something easier? Your parents could have started you off with an easier Pokemon like an actual 'starter' or even a Mareep."

I scratched at the back of my head again; it was a nervous habit of mine. "Well, generally the 'starter' Pokemon are reserved for the customers-"

"And a shiny one isn't?"

"You didn't let me finish. Kristy was actually meant for a client, but since I'm starting the trainer thing late, I guess my dad wanted me to have an advantage over all the other trainers. Besides, he's not even my first Pokemon," I coughed nervously as I pulled a Pokeball off my belt to hand to her, "He is. Chill, the Slugma, was my first Pokemon. Hatched him myself."

I said the last sentence with pride. I never liked the idea of training but hatching Pokemon was something else. It was more satisfying and... amazing. Alexas turned the ball in her hands, feeling the warmth of Chill's Pokeball. It always was warmer than normal.

"Slugma, huh," she whispered, "You hatched it?" I nodded. Alexas looked down at the ball once again and then looked to my hands. Although mostly healed, they were scarred from when I hatched his egg. I never expected red, hot _lava_ to pour out of an egg. That was the first and last time I ever held Chill in my hands. If Slugma weren't able to somehow control how hot their bodies were when touched by others, I don't think I'd even have hands anymore.

The look she gave me said it all; she made the connection, but didn't say anything. She pushed herself off the floor and held her hand out to me to help me up. I accepted and we both packed our belongings away. It was about noon by then so it was almost time for us to go our separate ways. I walked with her out the door of the Pokemon Center and waved good-bye to Nurse Joy before leaving. She smiled and waved back.

The skies outside were gloomy. Clouds that threatened to rain on us loomed overhead. Alexas pulled out a Premiere Ball from her side and threw it into the air. Oddly enough, all of her Pokeballs were Premiere Balls. A pale, yellow fox Pokemon with nine fluffy tails materialized midair and landed silently on its feet. I recognized it as a Ninetails; it was quite an iconic Pokemon. Immediately, the clouds in the sky seemed to disappear and the already bright sun seemed to burn brighter.

Alexas stretched her arms behind her head and yawned, the Ninetails nuzzled its head affectionately against her leg. "If you plan on challenging the Oreburgh Gym, I suggest heading east," she had returned the Ninetails to its Premiere Ball and pulled out another one, "The cave doesn't have anything but the usual cave dwellers and the occasional Psyduck. I'd avoid all those Geodude if I were you. They're not normally aggressive but they can get pretty tough if you have to battle a lot. As a general rule though, avoid water types. You don't stand a chance."

I nodded and glanced down at the side of my belt. Both of them were weak to water, one more than the other. Once I looked back up, Alexas had the other Ball raised in the air. I didn't have much time to react or even speak before I giant blue dragon came flying out with a great roar.

The cerulean monster was huge. It circled us overhead in a wide circle, its large, red wings fully extended. It landed heavily next to me; the force of the air beneath it was enough to knock me off my feet, and it did. Alexas must have noticed that I fell because I felt strong jaws grab onto the back of my jacket and pull me to my feet.

The look it gave me once I turned around was in short, intimidating to say the least. Its expression was full of malice and its narrow eyes seemed to be locked in a permanent glare. It was enough to make a child wet themself. I reflexively took a few steps back from it, myself preservation instincts kicking in. Just as I turned around to break out into a run for my life, Alexas grabbed by the back of my collar and dragged me back to the hulking Salamence.

"Meet Erica." Erica roared in what I assume would be equivalent of a greeting.

I only managed to stammer out a weak hello.

Alexas patted me on the back and jumped up onto her Salamence, Erica. "See this here?" she smiled, patting the dragon fondly, "This is what you want to use if you want to become a champion, a big, beautiful dragon."

She was gushing over her now. It was almost like watching a little girl talking about her Skitty. Alexas cleared her throat and continued, "Anyway, you should invest in a dragon. They're generally very powerful and would make it much easier for you to complete the gym circuit. If you don't have anything to use against Cynthia's Garchomp, you could use another Garchomp against her. I personally recommend Salamences, but they're not native to SInnoh."

I tensed at the mention of a Garchomp. They were aggressive, territorial, and extremely powerful. Past childhood traumas involving them left me, to say the least, terrified of them. Dad even had to give all the ones we had on the ranch away because of my fear of them. I shuddered involuntarily.

Alexas either did not notice my reaction or brushed it off as my I-don't-train-Pokemon attitude, because moments later she took to the skies. I watched as the two became smaller and smaller until they eventually became nothing more but a blue and red speck in the sky. Soon enough, I found myself alone once again. It's funny, feeling alone even with people all around you.

Remembering that I needed to get my first badge, I reached into my backpack to search for a map. Luckily for me, Dad had enough sense to pack one for me. It was buried deep at the bottom, underneath various other supplies that I'd probably need for traveling.

I opened up the map. A small red light showed me the general area I was in; maps had gotten really advanced over the years. Here to Oreburgh wasn't too far. If I was fast, I should be able to go there by foot in a little less than half a day. Since it was about midday… I would arrive late at night if I traveled non-stop.

I ran my hand through my hair, a nervous habit of mine. I wanted to avoid being in a city or town at night if possible. I learned my lesson and wanted to avoid a possible repeat at all costs, even if it meant delaying my travels.

In the end I decided to leave for Oreburgh. Camping outside and continuing my travels the next day was the solution I came up with for my predicament. Somehow I had come to the conclusion that that sleeping outside was safer than walking to the Pokemon Center late at night. In reality I could have stayed in Jubilife and left early the next day, but even though I had only been here for less than a day, I had had enough of this city. It was too big, too noisy, and there was no reason for me to stay. The sooner I collected all of the badges, the sooner I could go home.

Once I was out of the city, I immediately felt relief. The midday sun in the city was harsh from Alexas's Pokemon. Long roads and small hills stretched out before me. For being so close to such a large, major city, the path was surprisingly relaxed with its natural atmosphere. The fresh smell of a nearby lake mixed with the scent of the forests and trees surrounding the path were pleasantly refreshing. In the distance, I could see the parts of the mountain I would need to travel through. It was far off though so there was no immediate need to worry.

My travels were uneventful. I didn't see many trainers while I was walking, and when I did I went around to avoid a Pokemon battle. Personally, the rule that initiates battle with eye contact was stupid in my opinion. I would say that travelling without someone with you was lonely or boring, but I honestly didn't feel that way during the time. There were wild Pokemon all around. Some watched me with curious eyes, and some ignored me all together and opted for playing with the other Pokemon.

After I walked a couple of hours I decided to take a break under the cover of some trees. It's actually really embarrassing to admit this, but that was the farthest I had ever walked; it was only roughly six miles. Sitting down under one of the larger trees, I aimlessly stared off into the distance listening to the rustle of the flora and the occasional calls of the wild Pokemon. I stayed there for a while; I wasn't in a rush to get to Oreburgh. That could wait.

Just as I was thinking about how lunchtime was near, two Starly burst out of a nearby tree, chirping loudly and chasing each other. It looked like a game of tag. I watched them go back and forth, playing happily with each other. I used to watch the baby Pokemon play on with each other back at home for hours.

"I wonder what Mom and Dad are doing right now," I murmured. They were probably off tending the ranch. I bet Dad was manhandling the Pokemon while Mom was talking to potential customers.

Chill and Kristy were probably hungry by now. They hadn't eaten since late yesterday, and I hadn't either. I released the two from their Pokeballs. Kristy let out high pitched squeaks of joy at seeing me; he was relieved. Kristy must have worried about me after what happened earlier. I affectionately rubbed the side of his neck, and he responded happily. I smiled. If someone had told me yesterday how fast Kris and I would become friends I would have called them a liar. I couldn't help it; he was just so happy and friendly.

Chill only watched me from a distance. I always found it hard to read him. There wasn't much I could read from his body language; I had to rely almost solely on his eyes. He looked at me with worried, half-lidded eyes. There wasn't any way he could have known what happened, but sometimes I felt like he knew me better than I did. He looked down at the floor between us and back to me. He craned his head forward as if to move closer to us, but immediately backed away as if something had burned him.

My heart sank, as Kristy climbed into my lap. Chill couldn't touch me. It never seemed to bother him before; he would always follow me around with a lazy smile while we kept our distance from each other. I couldn't imagine how he felt seeing Kristy and I get so close to one another.

I reached into my pack and pulled out the charcoal I had bought the other day. "Chill," I called to him holding it out towards him, "it's okay. You can come closer. You're not going to burn me."

He stayed, unmoving. The heat from his body created waves in the air. He stared at me, guilt evident on his face. I extended my hand to try to urge him to come, but he only shied away from my reach. Charcoal was one of his favorite treats…

"Chill, do you still remember what happened when you hatched?"

The look he gave me was all I needed. My pain had healed, but he was still hurting.

"It's not your fault. Stop letting what happened bother you."

Kristy was curiously watching our exchange, completely oblivious to what happened in the past. I reached out as far as I could and placed the lump of charcoal as close to Chill as I could. I couldn't move very far because of Christy, but it was the best I could do.

He inched forward and took the snack into his mouth before slowly moving away from me. Slugma didn't need to eat much, just some fuel for their internal core. They mostly absorbed nutrients from the floor they moved on. I wasn't worried about Chill getting lost. The scorch marks on the floor would tell me exactly where he was.

A tug on my clothes told me that I was wanted. I looked down to see Kristy staring back at me. I figured that it was time for him to eat too. I dug into my pack and pulled out a container of Pokemon food and handed him a few clumps. He tilted his head curiously.

"Hungry?"

He shook his head and gently grabbed my hand. "Lar?" he squeaked looking back at me. I pulled my hands away from his grip and set him on the floor. Turning towards him, I held my hands out toward him. The sizzling of grass told me Chill was nearby.

"When Chill was hatched, I didn't know that he was a Slugma. The fire that his body is made up burned me. It burned me really badly. I couldn't touch anything for days, and I don't remember ever screaming like I did then. Here eat," I handed him the food before getting something for myself. I continued after a few bites, "I'm sure he still remembers that day. It's been a few years, but he still hasn't forgiven himself even though the scars are mostly healed."

Kristy had already finished what I had given him. He was looking directly at me, or more specifically, my hands.

"It doesn't hurt any-"

I was cut off by the sudden shrieks of the Starly from before. I whipped my head around only to see the two get attacked by an angry looking Shinx. It was only half the height of my Larvitar but the glare it gave is still managed to frighten him. He rushed behind me and hid himself behind my legs. The wild Shinx shifted his attention back to the Starly. Electricity coursed through its fur from the gold bands on its paws. Fangs bared, it charged the two birds. There was a bright flash of crackling electricity and I was temporarily blinded. I head a heavy thump hit the floor as my vision returned to me.

The Starly was pinned to the floor with the Shinx's fangs tearing at its throat. It flailed desperately against its attacker as the second Starly charged at the Shinx. Starly in its jaws, it repelled the second Starly with electricity charged claws. Fearing for its own life, the Starly fled, looking desperately back at the scene.

The jaws of the Shinx were beginning to become stained with blood; the Starly was noticeably bleeding now and its struggles were noticeably weaker. Kristy cried out from behind me, taking in the whole scene. He was grasping tightly onto the legs of my pants, tears streaming from his eyes. He was pulling on them and pointing back at the Shix.

"Tar! Lavi!"

I didn't doubt that he was disturbed why what he was seeing; I was too. I slowly backed the two of us way from the Shinx, keeping myself between them. His cries already attracted the Shinx's attention. He turned towards the two of us, dropping the unmoving Starly. Tail raised, it bared its fangs and sparked its fur in warning. It took a few steps forward, growling at us the whole time, before charging straight at me.

"Chill, help!" I yelped as the Shinx tore into my pants. Luckily for me, the material that my pants were made of was strong enough so that the Shinx would only barely break the skin. I heard Chill call back to me in the faint distance, but before I could react and push the small lion off of me, a sharp jolt of electricity left me crumpled to the floor. This Shinx was stronger than the others in the area.

With me lying defenselessly on the floor the Shinx had decided to attack my face. I found myself curled up on the floor, arm protecting my head, as the Pokemon tore mercilessly at my arms. It was completely ignoring Kristy, who was off to the side Screeching deafeningly at the Shinx in an attempt to scare it off or call for help.

That call for help was unanswered. I remained on the floor, muscles contracting uncontrollably due to the electric attacks. Suddenly, a large stone whistled past my head and narrowly missed the Shinx who had then stopped attacking me to turn its attention to its new foe. It darted off behind me towards the attacking Pokemon. Free from the barrage of attacks, I rolled to my feet and looked to where the Shinx had gone. Chill had positioned himself of on the side of the hill nearby and fired one of this Rock Throws at the Shinx.

The two were now locked in a close ranged battle with one another. The Shinx at managed to wrestle and pin Chill to the floor in an attempt to attack him with his Bites or Sparks while Chill was sending a steady stream of embers in its face. From where I stood, the Shinx wasn't holding up well against Chill. He was burned all over from direct contact with his magma body and the embers, while Chill was fighting fiercely beneath him.

Once Chill's fire reservoirs were low, it seemed as if both of them were nearing defeat, the Shinx from injuries and exhaustion, Chill from a lack of fighting ability. With the last of his energy, Chill fired one last Rock Throw at the Shinx, sending it flying in my Direction. It landed on its side near us, its muscles tense to resume battle. Kristy was the closest to it; she was terrified. Its fur was still crackling weakly, as if to challenge him. Sparks flying, the Shinx charged at him with the intention to kill him with his electricity.

Nothing happened.

Kristy noticed this as well. Once he realized that the Shinx's electricity, he seemed to grow more confident. The Shinx, dazed by the fact that his attack had not worked, stood dumbfounded. Kristy took that opportunity to clamp down on the smaller Pokemon with his jaws and fling him into a nearby tree. Beaten and defeated, the Shinx fled into the woods and disappeared from sight. With a triumphant look, Kristy turned back to me and squeaked happily. I nodded back in approval.

"Good job," I breathed. Being electrocuted by a Pokemon was exhaustingly painful. I turned back and saw Chill slowly making his way down the hill. He was never one of the faster Pokemon, but he was reliable. I jogged up to him, my Larvitar following closely behind me.

"Thank you." He breathed a small puff of smoke in my face. He normally blew little flames, but the battle must have taken a lot from him. I returned him to his ball; he needed some rest.

Soft coos and heavy breathing quickly caught my attention. The Starly was still alive! We rushed over to it. Its body was badly beaten and it was bleeding from the bites of the Shinx; many of its feathers were torn out from struggling. I wasn't sure if it could make it. The look in its eyes was a look of defeat. It had already accepted that its own death was near.

A/N: I'd like to apologize for such short chapters. I'm probably going to update more often as well, but maybe not. AP tests are coming up soon.

Anyway, there are some things I want to say. The main character's father was decently well-known seeing as he was a skilled trainer back in the day. Because of that, the Pokemon he breeds are of top quality, and that is why her Pokemon seem strong, even for a beginner. Also, Monster type Pokemon refers to the egg group is anyone was wondering.

She's getting rather attached to those Pokemon isn't she?


	4. Rocks and Coal

I didn't want to accept it.

"Can you hear me? Hold on," I urged. I didn't want the Starly to die; it wasn't even mine. I would have taken an empty Pokeball and caught the Starly right there if I had one. Pokemon can't die when they're in their Pokeballs, right? Either way, it would have been easier to transport it.

I was panicking by now. I quickly returned Kristy to his Pokeball and scooped the bird up securely in my arms. Then I did the only thing I could do; I grabbed my things, slung them over my back, and sprinted as fast as possible to Jubilife.

By the time I was halfway there, my lungs were burning and my vision was starting to blur, but I pressed on anyway. I did my best to shake the Starly as little as possible, it was getting weaker by the moment. I saw more trainers as I got closer to the city. Many of them stared as I frantically rushed passed them; a few even tried to stop me, but I kept going. I needed to get to the Pokemon Center.

When I finally neared my destination, my entire body felt as if it were on fire. I had to force myself to keep going. If the doors of the Pokemon Center were anything but automatic, I would have slammed into them. My head was swimming and everything was nothing but a blurred mess by then.

"Help… Starly… attack," I huffed between dry painful coughs. My elbow on the counter was the only thing holding me up and keeping me from collapsing at that point. I must have looked terrible, running in with ripped clothes and out of breath.

"Oh dear…" the nurse said before quickly taking the Pokemon from my arms. She handed it to the big pink attendant Pokemon who immediately moved into the back room with it.

I would have sighed with relief, but it came out as more violent coughs. My throat was dry and my tongue was sticking to the roof of my mouth. My arms and legs gave out moments later, and soon I was on the floor, breathing heavily to desperately get more oxygen into my lungs. It was hard to remember what happened after that. I remember someone taking off my backpack, and cool hands grasping onto me and taking me somewhere else.

I remember coming-to in a bright room on top of a patient's bed. I was in the area where they treated humans. Training accidents weren't uncommon and people needed medical attention too. A nurse noticed me and smiled at me.

"You gave us quite the scare, you know."

"How long was I out?" I croaked. My throat was still painfully dry, but my breathing was stable and I was feeling slightly better.

"Not too long. Maybe five to ten minutes. Can you stand? Lying down after a run like that isn't exactly good for you."

"I think so." I got off the bed and stepped shakily onto the floor. My legs were unsteady, but I was able to manage. "Are there anymore rooms? I think I'm going to be staying another night."

"Not a problem," she turned around and motioned for me to follow, "Your things are still in the lobby. We took the liberty of healing your Pokemon too; you should find them fully restored near your things."

I nodded and let her lead me back into the lobby where I retrieved my things and my Pokeballs. I practically dragged myself into my room before collapsing onto the bed. I checked the clock that was hung on the wall. The sun should have started setting around then. I stayed there for the rest of the day, staring at the ceiling. I was tired and didn't want to move. It was like not being able to fall asleep after a long day.

Somewhere in –between my daydreaming and nightfall, I let Kristy out to feed him again. He was still a baby after all. They needed to eat a lot of food to grow into their full size. If we were outside, I would have found a choice patch of soil for him to much on, but for now he settled on standard Pokechow.

I suppressed a sigh as the Larvitar crawled up onto my bed with me. He was really clingy, even for a hatchling. I contemplated returning him into the Pokeball but decided against it; doing that would probably cause problems that I didn't want to deal with. There was one thing that was certain though; sleeping would be uncomfortable tonight. Before falling asleep, I made a mental note to buy a few Pokeballs. I wasn't interested in catching Pokemon, but it would be a good idea to have some just in case.

I woke up the next morning with sore muscles and a dry throat. Everything hurt. It hurt even more when I moved. I stood up and stretched. Kristy was standing on top of the mattress; he woke up long before I did. I fed him breakfast and returned him before heading out the door for breakfast myself. Luckily for me, Slugma didn't have to eat much. If I had to feed Chill, I'd have to explain the melted floors.

The breakfast served at the Pokemon Centers weren't anything special. They had some sub-par scrambled eggs, and pancakes made from a mix. Each trainer was limited to a certain amount of food that they could take, but that was fine with me. I never ate much, but the running from before had made me more hungry than usual. When I finished, I was still hungry, so I decided to buy something from a café on the way to the PokeMart. I needed to buy a few Pokeballs, after all.

Nurse Joy stopped me as I was walking out the door. She had a worried and sad expression painted on her face. I could tell the news that I was about to hear wasn't going to be good. I braced myself for the worst. It was probably the Starly…

"Is there a problem?" I asked. My eyes were beginning to water; I knew what she was going to say. There was no other reason for her to talk to me specifically.

"Yes, there is actually," her words were gentle, "Your Starly-"

"It's wild."

"Yes, that is exactly the problem…" she bit her lip nervously. Choosing her words carefully she continued, "Cases similar to that of your Starly are not uncommon. In fact, the numbers of attacks from Shinx and their evolutions have been growing as of late. The Pokemon Center is actually quite full, and the Pokemon of trainers such as you sadly come before wild Pokemon. The Starly is in stable condition, but we are unable to hold it here any longer unless it has a trainer."

I didn't know whether or not to be relieved. The Starly had survived the night, but the news brought other problems. "Is there any way that you could find it a trainer? We could put it up for adoption."

"I'm afraid not. Not many trainers would take a Starly; they are extremely common around here. The fact that this one would not be able to battle only makes it harder to find a trainer. I think the best option is for you to catch it."

I suddenly wasn't hungry anymore. Those words she uttered were what I had feared most. Yesterday, I would have caught it without a second thought, but now things were different. I was still a brand-new trainer; handling two Pokemon was already difficult, and I would only have a harder time raising a third. I didn't have anything against the Starly, I just wasn't ready for any more Pokemon. Catching it and releasing it was always an option, but that felt _wrong_. It would be like abandoning it when it needed me, when it trusted me.

I was conflicted. I knew I wasn't going to stay with the Starly for long; I wanted to avoid forming any bonds with it. Doing so would only hurt us both. The fastest and easiest way to form bonds was to name, and travel with the Pokemon. If I caught it, I would have to call it something. Even if I went with just "Starly" eventually we would get attached.

Taking a deep breath, I asked to be given the Starly. I decided to bring it to Oreburgh with me. The Pokemon Center there was much less crowded than that of the busy Center here.

I waited outside as the nurse prepared the Starly for me. The crisp morning air nipped at my pink cheeks, and a slight breeze bit through my clothes. It was pleasant. Nurse Joy came out a few moments later with a box in her arms. Inside was the Starly, gently wrapped in a smooth fabric. She closed the lid, careful not to disturb the bird inside.

"Be quick and try not to disturb it too much. It's doing much better than it was yesterday but it is better not to give it any more unnecessary stress."

I nodded.

Box in hand, I was off. Oreburgh wasn't far, and I wasn't worried about not making it in time. Tall buildings and horribly crowded streets gave way to grassy hillsides and deep green trees. I walked at a brisk pace. It was my third time on the road and I was sick of it. In all honestly, I just wanted the trip to be over with.

For the first time, I safely made it to the Oreburgh gate without any incidents. A few Pokemon, including Shinx, jumped out of the forest and grass, eager to battle and fight, but I took care of them easily. I was tired, sore, and pretty bad looking. A short stare-down with me and the Pokemon got the hint. I probably would have just dropped-kicked them if they didn't, no matter how mean that sounds. Being exhausted can do wonders to you.

The Oregurgh Gate, as I was disappointed to learn, was not a gate _at all_. It was just a relatively short cave that happened to be the entrance of Oreburgh. I think Alexas might have mentioned something along those lines, but at this point my brain was dead.

The only relief I had was the fact that it was ten degrees cooler inside of the cave. Spring was nearing its end and summer was beginning, so the cooler temperature was a relief. The fact that it was almost summer time was actually a good thing though; school was ending and the break was starting, so I'd miss less school than if it were fall.

While I was walking through the cave, a large man with a similarly large backpack that resembled mine stopped me and waved me over. Curious, I walked over to him. Protectively holding the Starly's box close to my chest. Experience from school taught me that bigger boys that call you over just want to knock whatever you're carrying out of your hands, mainly books. Looking back, I should've told Dad. He would have set them straight.

"Howdy there!" his voice was deep and billowing, stereotypical for hikers in caves.

"Hello. Need something?" I responded almost cautiously. I wasn't sure what he wanted and after what Alexas told me, I learned to be cautious around strangers.

He pointed to my hands. "What'cha carrying?"

"A Starly. I'm heading towards Oreburgh."

He suddenly seemed interested. "Oho! A trainer, huh? I bet bet yer going to challenge Roark! Let's have a battle; I haven't had a decent one in a long time." The hiker reached into his back pocket and pulled out Pokeball. Enlarging it in his hand, he threw it into the air and released his Pokemon. It was a short, fat Pokemon with a wide bill. The bright yellow of its skin contrasted greatly with the dark brown walls of the cave.

"Psyyyyyy," it muttered lazily.

Perfect… a Psyduck. "Can we battle some other time? I really need to get to Oreburgh. It's really important, and the Starly is injured."

"This will only take a few moments. Besides, it'll good to get some practice in before the gym leader; you don't look like you've battled much anyway." He pointed towards the Pokeballs on my belt. "There's no saying no now, kid. You should know the rules, we have to battle. We made eye contact and I challenged you."

I groaned angrily. One day, I would do something about that rule. I reluctantly set the box carefully down on the floor behind me, careful not to disturb the Starly. I sent Chill out first. He may have been weak to water, but it was better than Kristy who had a double weakness to water. We started out the battle with Chill using Rock Throw against the Psyduck who responded with a Water Gun. The sizzle of the water being instantly evaporated against his magma body made me cringe. He never battled against a water-type before then. The water caused the outer layers of his body to rapidly cool and harden, falling off onto the floor. He was terrified, doing what I could only describe as screaming. He attacked the Psyduck again but was taken down by another blast of water from the Psyduck. Kristy didn't do much better. He was only able to bite the demon spawn once before fainting.

The hiker was right though, the battle was short, less than ten minutes long, I think. I grudgingly handed him the prize money. At this point, I was sure that he was only here to challenge trainers trying to get to Oreburgh. The way he took my money said it all. There wasn't any other reason for a _hiker _to be waiting around in a cave doing nothing anyway. I wondered if this was a common thing. Alexas never mentioned this.

I had to sneak out of the cave after that. There weren't any trainers that I would have worried about, most wont attempt to battle people if their Pokemon were knocked out. I had to watch out for the wild Pokemon, primarily Zubats.

People always joke about them, but they are the physical embodiment of evil. I was attacked by three on the way out; they bit into my arm and ripped my shirt. It hurt.

Oreburgh City was really plain. I don't know what I was expecting or even if I was expecting anything. The streets were just dirt paths, and the area was surrounded with mountainsides. Landslides must be a nightmare. There weren't many people outside; they may have been inside because of the dusty air… but the air wasn't too bad…

I didn't spend much time looking around, because I went straight to the Pokemon Center immediately after entering. The nurse there was just like the other nurse appearance-wise. She took the Starly without a word and had it taken into the back for treatment. She was quick to take notice of my arm though. The bites from the Zubats weren't bad, but they were bleeding quite a bit, spilling red onto both my clothes and the clean floor below; the scent of blood mixing in with the bitter, immaculate smell of a doctor's office.

"Zubats?" she asked with a sigh. It seemed like these types of attacks on humans were really common. She took me back behind the counter to treat my arm with a basic first-aid kit, disinfecting the bites before bandaging them. "At least it wasn't a Golbat. They are absolutely vicious. And have been known to serious injure anything that enters their caves."

She turned around to rummage through some cabinets mentioning something about how common it was for trainers to get infected wounds. I heard a satisfied "aha" before she whipped around and placed a small box in my hands. I opened it up to find some alcohol wipes and new bandages.

"I'm sure you know what those are for," she patted me gently on the head, "You're older than the average trainer, but just to make sure I'll let you have these. Clean and change your bandages every once and a while and those bites should heal in no time."

"T-thank you," I stammered. I always knew the nurses at the Pokemon Centers were nice, but this was beyond my expectation. For some reason after being kicked out of the Pokemon Center in Jubilife, I got the impression that their kindness was more of a show. After all, they have to deal with hundreds of trainers from all ages every day. Genuine kindness tended to wear off after being exposed to that many self-important people.

She took a seat on a nearby chair directly behind a sleek glass table. I followed, and sat on a garish, mint colored couch across from the table. The generic waiting room couch squeaked as my weight compressed the plastic cushions. Easing the shoulder straps off of my backpack off, I loosely let it fall to the space beside me. Hearing shuffling and light footsteps behind me, I turned around to see a round, pink Chansey take my backpack and Pokeballs. It waddled off in a hurry.

Alarmed, I jumped up to chase after it, but the firm voice of the nurse told me to sit. She leaned forward, towards me, elbows supporting her weight on the table. "Don't worry, Chansey is just taking care of your Pokemon, and your things will be put into a room for you."

"Oh."

"So, tell me about yourself. Most people would have started training Pokemon a year or two ago. Why the late start?"

"How did you know I was a new trainer… I wanted to go to school, but Dad was a trainer and-"

She stopped me there with a gentle chuckling, like she just heard a funny inside joke. "Sorry, it's just these types of stories. Trainers that don't want to be trainers aren't uncommon. Ironically, they normally become the better trainers in the end too. I remember that these two trainers; they were from Twinleaf Town. They didn't exactly object to owning Pokemon, but they weren't expecting it."

Interested in what she was saying, I leaned in closer to hear her better. I vaguely remembered the trainers she was talking about. They were on the news all the time when I was little. I remembered the blonde one being hasty and quick to become strong, but the other trainer was something else. They were the youngest person to defeat the champion _and_ the record keeper for shortest time taken to defeat the gym circuit and defeat the champion. I'd even heard that they were able to literally "Catch'em all". They were the first to complete the Pokedex and eventually owned at least one of each known Pokemon. Rumors were spread all around the school about that trainer catching the legendary Pokemon, but I'm sure those were just rumors.

There was another one from Sandgem too, but they were a primarily a researcher. That one was my favorite. The some of the other kids at school made fun of me for that though. Their loss.

"They didn't always hand Pokedexes out to trainers, you know. They were originally used for research by certain trainers hand-picked by Professor Rowan. You have one don't you?"

I dug into my back pocket and pulled out my Pokedex. It was the standard model for the Sinnoh region. Flipping it open, I scrolled through all the detailed information on each Pokemon. It gave details from type, to weight, and other miscellaneous information. It even had details about the legendary Pokemon; that was probably where the rumors came from.

I rubbed my chin thoughtfully. I knew it was silly seeing as I didn't have a beard. "Hey," I said remembering a thought I had earlier, "Why aren't there many people in this Pokemon Center? I mean, the Ccity is pretty quiet too even though it's one of the bigger cities."

"Not many people come to Oreburgh, believe it or not. It's a mining city; our only real attraction is the Museum. Of course, we get a couple of trainers coming in every few days or so to train and battle Roark, but other than that, there isn't really a reason for any of the citizens to have their Pokemon treated. Miners every now and then, but other than that this Center is pretty slow."

I nodded. What she said made sense. I stretched my arms which were tense from the exponential increase in usage. Studying and being an actual student in school never required me to work much… even though I still had yet to do much of anything.

I stayed in Oreburgh for the next two weeks, visiting the mines and wandering aimlessly through the museum. My days were dull and I spent most of my time in one of the local cafés, a favorite of the coal miners. They were surprisingly nice, laid back people. They came to the same café during their breaks. We would talk about their work, their family, training, everything. Even the news. On the second day there I heard about a trainer whose Pokemon were killed by another trainer. It was reported to be a battling accident, fairly uncommon. The trainer had his trainer card suspended for a year.

The miners would always encourage me to challenge Roark and some of them even trained me personally after hours. A miner named Jack spent the most time with me. He was a large, friendly guy. He told me that I reminded him of his kids back at home; he lived away from them to work and support the family. Jack trained me and my Pokemon in the grassy valley north of the city. The miners battled with Roark himself, so they were specifically training my Pokemon to defeat him.

Training that way, I admit, isn't very fair or even fun, but I needed all the help I could get. Two weeks in one town was plenty of time to meet other trainers. Granted, a ton of them were just as new as me, but I still managed to lose almost every battle. The only battle I managed to win was one against a kid with nothing but a Butterfree. A sick one. A little pathetic; Jack thought so too.

One day of the training montage stood out more than the others though. The day started like any other… sort of. I woke up early that morning and headed straight up to Route 207, north. The soil there was dark and rich, perfect for planting if someone were to clear the long grass growing out the soil. The grass went about to my waist which made it difficult to walk through. The morning dew that sprayed across the fields made the large blades stick to my arms and clothes didn't make trekking though the field any easier, but it was nice. The place had a cool, earthy smell, something you wouldn't normally find in towns or cities, and the sun was beginning to rise, casting a cool light across the earth. It was better to train early in the morning so the heat of the sun wouldn't make it too uncomfortable. It also left plenty of time in the day to do other things.

I waited one of the clear areas of the grassy field. It was where I always waited for him, but that day he was running late. I waited for a while but he didn't show up. After a while, I started becoming hungry, but I decided to wait a little longer and released my Pokemon from their Pokeballs. Kristy loved being in that area. The rocks and soil around there seemed to be his favorite to eat, and Chill was burning hotter than he ever did back on the ranch- plenty of fuel makes for a happy magma slug. Jack not showing up wasn't what made that day memorable though. It's what found _me_ that day.

A/N: Oops. I haven't updated in forever. That's too bad because I have school and better things to be doing like learning how to drive. Anyway, expect the next chapter sometime in the next week or so.


End file.
